- November 23, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
It wasn’t until Wednesday morning, half-way through the week, that I found out, via Twitter, that this week, May 13-19, is American Craft Beer Week.
What is a craft beer, you ask? And why does it need to be celebrated?
According to The Brewers Association, an American craft brewer is small, with an annual production of 6 million barrels of beer or less. It’s independent, with less than 25% of the craft brewery owned or controlled an alcoholic beverage industry member which is not itself a craft brewer. A craft brewer is also traditional, having either an all-malt flagship (the beer which represents the greatest volume among that brewers brands) or at least 50% of its volume in either all-malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor.
The second answer is a little simpler. Craft brews should be celebrated of the same reason people buy local. It supports local, independent artisans. And in my opinion, they taste better.
People are afraid of the unknown, and beer is no exception. Having a week dedicated to the beers that the average person is not familiar with allows them to broaden their horizons.
While I enjoy drinking and savoring a good craft beer, this week was also an opportunity to explore another cooking-with-beer recipe.
My grandmother gave me a recipe for beer bread a while back, and I had never tried it. But anyone who knows me knows that I don’t like making things that simple. Instead, I added my favorite pepper, poblano, and some Monterey jack cheese to kick up the flavor.
While I had the addition of peppers swirling around in my head, one of my most frequented food blogs, annies-eats.com, provided me the perfect means of doing so.
This quick bread takes a little longer because of the roasting, but believe me when I say it is totally worth it.
Poblano and cheese beer bread
What you need:
2 poblano peppers
12 oz. (2½ cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
6 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded, divided
1 cup beer
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 oz. (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
What to do:
Preheat the broiler. Place poblanos in a metal baking dish and place under the broiler. Cook, turning occasionally, until all sides are charred and bubbling, about 20 minutes total. Transfer the charred peppers to a bowl and cover with foil. Let rest 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees. After the rest, transfer the peppers to a cutting board. Peel away the charred skins and discard, along with the stems and seeds. Coarsely chop the roasted peppers. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder and cayenne. Whisk to blend. Add in the chopped poblanos and most of the Monterey Jack cheese, reserving a portion for the top. Toss with a fork to combine.
Stir in beer, egg, and melted butter and mix just until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Spread the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool 10-15 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edges to loosen the loaf, and then carefully turn the loaf out of the pan.
Serve warm in thick slices.
-adapted from annies-eats.com
